Exploring the Thailand International Furniture Fair 2016

This year, the ASEAN Smart Living theme captivates on the revival of tradition, craft, and philosophy from this region to a new interpretation via the latest technology and resources. We bring you the latest picks that celebrate with the contemporary space living.

Thailand’s annual International Furniture Fair consistently showcases some of the most exciting designs in the Asia region with 200 exhibitors and over 800 booths on display from participants from Thailand to Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. With such an exciting line-up of seminars and exhibitions, the Fair shines a spotlight on where design in the region is heading.

Saisai beanbag and frameCreated by: Mobella

The beanbag is finally a serious style contender. The conventional beanbag’s priority of comfort over style can finally be dissolved with this beanbag that is light-heartedly inspired from the local coconut dessert on a banana leaf. The luxury leather upholstery frame can be flipped over to become either a lounge chair or a daybed.

From the creator of the famed ‘seatbelt dining chair’ seen from the movie, The Hunger Games, comes this predecessor that reinterprets the ancient Dong Son drum of the Karen people with an avant-garde execution. The disposition of the crisscross execution is a revolution in strength and style from this industrial material.

This chair is stripped to the bare essentials, with a raw elegance that appreciates the material honesty of steel plate and rattan core. The beauty on display from the no-gimmick brutalist design is not the union of the two materials, but rather the contraposition for dominance amongst the masculine and feminine elements.

Modernist furniture with a nostalgic revival. Before the refrigerator, food was kept in a cabinet of a similar style, and is an allegory that conceptualises the home in the Asia region. This cabinet has been reborn into a versatile display storage for modern living, with the Quatrefoil patterned mesh panels that calls back to its origin.

This tray is inspired by the reflection of mountains on water following the Zen saying that, ‘everything is a reflection of our mind’. The result is the organic form of a compact-size Zen sculpture, which functions as a daily reminder for personal moments of self-reflection.

This is a silver screen rétro sofa with a present-day visual statement. This sofa plays with both the past and present, via the combination of a slim oak frame, and the oversized backrest with their original painting of modern skyscrapers. The decision of whether to sit on it, or to admire it, is a difficult choice to make.

The minimalist beauty of vernacular handcraft. These pendant lamps displays an honesty in their crafting of solid oak woodturning and terracotta pottery. These elements are combined to create a new entity, which justifies its existence in the form of light. The result is an aesthetic glowing light quality of cosy ambience that derives from the embodiment of its wood and earth elements.

The wave lounger is a tropical floating hammock with a tropical design language that is a good fix for a static space, and dynamic structure. The wave-inspired body is made from recyclable Olefin rope that is weaved into bouncy stainless steel tubes, and creates the experience of an embracing hammock.

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Habitus Magazine is the Asia Pacific authority of choice for Design Hunters® looking for the special in design and architecture and products, providing an exclusive view into the regions most beautiful homes.